Millennials and Worship Style – Rainer on Leadership #065

Podcast Episode #065

With around 12 million Millennials in our churches today, their presence is making a dramatic impact on worship services. As we discuss on the podcast this week, this impact is not necessarily manifested in a desire for a certain style of music, but a desired authenticity in the worship service. In that regard, “style” of worship is not their primary focus. Instead they seek worship services and music that have three major elements.

They desire the music to have rich content. They desire to sing those songs that reflect deep biblical and theological truths. It is no accident that the hymnody of Keith and Kristyn Getty has taken the Millennials by storm. Their music reflects those deep and rich theological truths.

The Millennials desire authenticity in a worship service. They can sense when congregants and worship leaders are going through the motions. And they will reject such perfunctory attitudes altogether.

This large generation does want a quality worship service. But that quality is a reflection of the authenticity noted above, and adequate preparation of the worship leaders both spiritually and in time of preparation. In that sense, quality worship services are possible for churches of all sizes.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by B&H Publishing group and the book The Millennials. The Millennials is based on 1200 interviews with its namesakes that aim to better understand them personally, professionally, and spiritually. Chapters report intriguing how-and-why findings on family matters, their desire for diversity, Millennials and the new workplace, their attitude toward money, the media, the environment, and perhaps most tellingly, religion.